


Die Hard Swordsman - one shot

by Quaralknight



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: Action, Adventure & Romance, Comedy, F/M, Reincarnation, Self-Insert, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:20:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27850738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quaralknight/pseuds/Quaralknight
Summary: Getting to choose your afterlife for a lifetime of good deeds shouldn't involve getting screwed over. Nothing against ninjas and the like but a world filled with boundless adventure is more my speed. So if I'm stuck in the Shinobi world I won't play by their rules. Just because I didn't get to be the swordsman in the world I wanted doesn't mean I won't try anyway. SI Sasuke
Comments: 8
Kudos: 65





	Die Hard Swordsman - one shot

**Author's Note:**

> Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing pertaining to this story and hope others will take inspiration from this work to pursue their own stories for me to enjoy.

**Chapter One: Directionless**

Hesitation. Regret. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. Justice.

Swirling inside like a violent storm. The aching and pain in his heart threatened to rupture and shatter into a thousand pieces. That would be the lesser of his guilt. How could he face himself after this? How could he call himself anything but a monster? The intention didn’t matter. Whether this was for the sake of peace certainly didn’t. It was just another tragedy. Forced upon them as shinobi.

Such was their world.

After Shisui’s death he had tried to steel his resolve. Taking on this burden and responsibility as a member of the Uchiha clan was the least he could. To stop a senseless war that could destroy the village. For that reason he would kill his heart. Become the monster that would protect the Leaf Village. 

Even at the cost of his own soul.

Itachi could feel his tears run down his face. The soft drips that hit the wooden floor. His hand clasping the hilt of his blade so tightly that he could feel his nails dig into the palms of his hands. This was worse than he thought. They weren’t even fighting back. They knelt in front of him with their backs turned. Seemingly aware of his purpose yet…

“I won’t have a deathmatch with my son,” his father, Fugaku, said almost reading his thoughts.

“Father…”

“We already know Itachi,” his mother, Mikoto said.

“Mother…”

“You're a kind boy, Itachi. I know that no matter what happens you’ll look after Sasuke. No matter our differences in our philosophies I will always be proud of you.”

His hands were shaking as his fathers words stabbed him like a blade in the chest. The resolve he had just mustered was weakening in the face of such a hopeless moment. It should have never gotten this far. Never to the point where he would be forced to cut down his own parents. Perhaps this was enough? The Uchiha clan had lost a majority of its members. They would be hellbent to recover from this.

But they would never forget. The cycle would repeat itself. This hatred would fester until it fell onto the future children of the Leaf Village.

His father knew that as well.

“Do not hesitate, Itachi. This is the path you have chosen. Compared to the pain we will suffer, yours will be far greater.”

Two strokes.

No sounds from them as he killed his heart. Only pain driving forward and keeping him from giving into despair. He still had one task left. One more person he needed to see. Someone who could eventually make all this suffering worth something in the end. A person that could right their wrongs and give justice to his deeds tonight. The only one with the potential to do so. His own younger brother, Sasuke.

That would be the biggest challenge of all.

He knew his brother would be here soon. Coming back from training. Only eight years old and was the few in the clan's history that wasn’t formally considered an Uchiha by traditional standards. Sasuke, against the wishes of their father, had rejected the idea of becoming a shinobi. Even going so far as to skip going to the academy altogether to pursue his own training.

It was hard to comprehend him most times. The formality and indifference merely summed up to some sort of mental imparitty. But Itachi knew. He knew that Sasuke was more capable and focused than what others claimed he lacked. His younger brother just didn’t have any interest in becoming a shinobi and was damn stubborn about it too. That’s why he wasn’t able to wear the Uchiha crest on his back. Sasuke never completed that milestone that was expected of an Uchiha child.

That's why most in the clan had scorned or mocked Sasuke behind his back. They were always being compared. His genius being a black mark on the intentional failings of his brother. Yet, Sasuke never bat an eye at this treatment. Especially the disappointment his father held for him. He barely conversed with others and always seemed in his own little world.

The only time he ever saw any sign of interest in his brother was when he was training. Swordsmanship specifically, with a strange focus on using three at the same time. The results of which...well, Itachi just didn’t see the benefit. Sasuke would be better off putting that focus into training to become a shinobi. So tonight he would use his new sharingan to force it into his mind.

Itachi stood in the middle of the street. Just in front of the entrance of the district. His brother had just passed the threshold. Barely sparing a glance to the corpses that littered the road. His hands gripped the wooden bokeh strapped to his hip. Three in total. They were thicker and heavier than normal ones. Used for training instead of actual combat.

“I see you’ve been busy,” Sasuke said monotonously. “Since everyones dead now, I guess and I can continue training without the rents giving me a hard time. Just need to grab something from the house and I’ll be on my way.” 

Itachi’s body tensed. He had hoped such a sight would have at least registered something in his brother's mind. It appeared that his actions in massacring their family wasn’t important to Sasuke. Worse was that he sounded like he thought their family was just a nuisance. Something in his way.

“But it appears I’ll need to move you first,” Sasuke assessed, taking his dark blue bandana and wrapping it over his head to keep his bangs out of his eyes. It was apparent that his younger brother's eyes didn’t meet his own. Rather they pierced his chest. Sasuke was purposely avoiding them as he gripped his boken. One was placed in his mouth and the other two were placed in each hand. Three swords to be used to do battle. 

“Have you no interest in why I did this Sasuke? Do you truly not care that I killed our mother and father?”

Sasuke scoffed. His words muffled with the wooden blade in his mouth. Yet it appeared his ability to speak wasn’t impaired. “I’ve never once thought of any of you idiots as family. Why should I care when you all seemed incapable of sorting through this coup d'etat mess like adults. The fact you were ordered or forced into this is just a result of your own weakness.”

Itachi’s eyes widened. What shred of confidence in his plan succeeding was slowly slipping away. “You...You knew this whole time?” 

“Let’s see if I remember all the details correctly. Danzo stole Shisui’s eye. You're forced to kill everyone in the clan except me for some god awful redemption plan. Forcing me down some path of revenge or some other nonsense while you infiltrate the Akatsuki. Did I miss anything?” Sasuke asked.

“How? How do you know all this!” Itach demanded.

His brother just shrugged. “Unlike the rest of you I don’t care whether I have the sharingan or not. Why would I when... I have the ability to see the future.”

He stilled. Such a claim didn’t sound like such an empty boast. Rather, it would explain a lot. Sasuke wouldn’t have the ability to find this all out without being caught. But if he could truly see things before they happened...the ramifications were beyond anything he could have imagined. Such a gift could help protect the Leaf Village even if Sasuke himself never became a ninja.

So he would have to be more direct with this. Summoning Karasu he began weaving hand signs. It was only his intent to do this until Sasuke had claimed his eyes in battle but...with the truth known and his brothers callous and uncaring personality he was left with little options.

“Ha! So you're going to use the Kotoamatsukami after all. You just don’t get it.” Sasuke pulled his bandana down. It now covered his eyes. “I don’t need to see in order to defeat you. You’re just a punk that lost his nerve.”

“I’m sorry it has to be this way Sasuke. But I cannot let this night be in vain. Whether you like it or not, you are the hope and second chance for the Uchiha clan.” He readied his blade. Prepared to cut the cloth from his brother's eyes in order to perform the jutsu.

“I see...well you better be sure about defeating me,” his brother crossed his arms. The blades took a symmetrical position on his sides. His sharingan could see Sasuke’s chakra building up. There was something strange about. Something irregular. Around his brother's hidden eyes there was a faint red glow. Yet, it was remotely close to what the chakra of sharingan should be. It was something else. 

Slowly creeping up around the eight year old was a faint aura. It covered Sasuke's entire body before rising up and taking on a ghostly shape above him. Like some sort of spectre one would expect from a disembodied soul. It had a glowing red eye staring back at him. Yet it didn’t appear to be a genjutsu or have anything to do with chakra. Just a haze distorting his vision around Sasuke.

“Just what the hell is this?” He asked aloud.

“What? Have you never seen a demon before?”

“A demon? Like the Nine Tailed Fox?” He asked, utterly put off by what he was witnessing. When and how could Sasuke do something like this? It was inconceivable that the boy who did nothing but lift weights and did strength training could conjure up the power of a demon.

Sasuke laughed. “Not quite. A bit sad for you though. Had you tried this a month ago I may not have stood a chance against you. Guess my non stop training will pay off. So I’m curious. I wonder which is stronger. Your Mangekyo Sharingan or my Haki? Let's find out shall we?”

Itachi was prepared to dodge and move around the attack. His sharingan could already pick up the direction his brother would use. Whatever this monstrosity was, it wouldn’t matter so long as he avoided it. So he gathered up his courage and readied himself to strike.

“Come at me then Sasuke. Show me your power so that I may demonstrate the difference between us.”

“Fine then! Watch and see your own hubris!” Sasuke shouted as his stance lowered. His power rose to the point it was pushing against the wind. “ **Charming Demon! Sleepless Nights!...”**

Itachi saw all but one moment. His brother was several feet away before he vanished. Only a split second later was he in front of him. The wooden blades brushed against his flak vest. Like some sort of teleportation technique that warped his brother's position. He couldn’t dodge it. His body simply wasn’t fast enough. The attack was already in its final movement before he had any chance to react.

“ **....Onigiri!** ”

Pain erupted in his chest as his vest shattered under the crushing blow. A glob of blood was forced out of his mouth, shooting out when the air inside his lungs struggled to free itself. There was no cut on his chest, rather, a sickening snap that followed when one's ribs broke. The training boken may not have been sharp but that wasn’t the point. They were heavy and could shatter bones into dust.

Fighting through the pain Itachi remained conscious. Staggering to his knees while trying not to fall over. He clutched his chest. Ripping his vest off as it was crushing his abdomen.

“I’m...impr...essed.” He gasped out.

The splintered wood grazed his neck. Sasuke stood behind him with an audible panting in his breath. That attack must have taken a lot out of his younger brother. With the end result being this, he couldn’t blame him. Had the blades been real...Itachi doubted he would be alive right now. He had grossly underestimated his brother's abilities. 

Hubris indeed.

“Don’t be. I still... have a long way to go... in order to... master these techniques,” Sasuke claimed. “I haven’t even... scratched the surface yet.”

“So will you...kill me then?”

The answer came from the wooden blade being removed from his neck. “Leave. Go do whatever, just stay out of my way. Whatever stupid plan you wanted to rope me into won’t happen. Clear your own damn conscience. My destiny is my own.” With that he felt Sasuke began to walk away. Leaving him to stare ahead as he saw the extent of the attack. The entire street and side walls were torn up. The amount of power in that attack was something he couldn’t haven’t done at Sasuke’s age.

Itachi now realized that it was his brother who was the true prodigy. Not him. Now his last remaining family wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

“Sasuke...what is your dream?” He asked, knowing this may be the last time they spoke. 

“ _ My dream? You wouldn’t even begin to understand it. I’m trying to get what I’m owed. I shouldn’t never have been brought to this world. My original choice was denied from me. So now I’m fighting against this outcome. Knowing that if I can become like him, I may someday gain the ability to cut through the barrier between worlds. So that I can honor him; The man who strives to become the greatest swordsman by challenging him to a duel! Even though he is worlds apart, being here and now only proves he’s real! That he’s out there! _ ”

Itachi didn’t understand. Nothing about what he just heard made sense. Only that there was someone out there that was spurring his brother forward.

“Who is this person?”

Sasuke let out a small laugh. “Just some swordsmen with a terrible sense of direction.”


End file.
